Water-thinnable, base-neutralized reaction products of phosphoric acid and DGEBA (diglycidyl ether/bisphenol-A) type epoxy resins are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,164,487, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. These products have utility in water-borne coatings systems. They are unique in being capable of existing as aqueous dispersions comprising no organic solvents. However, for spray application to can interiors--a very exacting application--the inclusion of a minor proportion of organic solvents, such as glycol monoethers, is considered essential.
A solvent mixture which has been found suitable for this purpose is a 50/50 (by weight) mixture of the mono-hexyl and mono-butyl ethers of ethylene glycol. However, the hexyl ether ("hexyl cellosolve") has a sufficiently high boiling point (208.degree. C.) so that it is difficult to attain complete removal of it from the coating (film) without resorting to excessively long curing times. Also, the latter solvent is expensive.